State agency announces $13M cut from operating budget

Another Oklahoma state agency announced more than 73,000 Oklahomans will lose some access from the state-funded service due to the ongoing revenue failures for the state.

The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services announced Friday that the agency will cut an additional $13 million from its current operating budget. The department has now cut $23 million from operations and services since January.

“It’s heartbreaking that we have to make these cuts,” Commissioner Terri White, of the state mental health department, said in a statement. “It is not something that we want to do, but there are no other options at this point.”

The announcement of the cuts came after the agency’s board meeting Friday.

It’s expected that $7 million will be cut to contracted mental health and substance abuse services statewide, rate cuts for multiple service levels and provider networks throughout Oklahoma, including cuts to rates paid for mental health inpatient care and tightening an annual “cap” placed on psychotherapy services for individuals in treatment.

Many services through ODMHSAS receive federal matching funds, so the actual impact on statewide treatment should be more than $36 million, officials said.

“We know that treatment works, but only when services are available,” White said. “The impact of these cuts will be deeply felt by individuals, families, communities and the state as a whole.”